LANCE ARMSTRONG FOUNDATION

	Seven time Tour de France winner, cycling great and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong gave a South Shore teen who lost his Pyramid Circle home in last month’s devastating Angora fire a big boost of recovery — an autographed bike donated by Big Daddy’s of Carson Valley. Garrett Singer lost his bike in the fire that claimed 254 homes. “This has been the first smile and real joy I’ve seen from him since the fire,” said Pam Singer, Garrett’s mother. The teary-eyed mother recalled how Garrett dedicated his fifth grade class project to Lance Armstrong and created a mosaic in the project. The mosaic burned in the fire. —Courtesy Susan Wood, Tahoe Daily Tribune

Over the years, Lance Armstrong’s ride of choice has been the bicycle.

But those attending the American Century Championship may drive away from the event in Lake Tahoe from July 10-15 associating Armstrong with another vehicle.

Now in its 10^th year battling cancer, the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), the charity fundraising beneficiary of the American Century Championship, will park a LIVESTRONG merchandise trailer at the parking lot near the clubhouse at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

Provided by Roush Fenway Racing of NASCAR fame, the 36-foot trailer will house the LIVESTRONG STORE, featuring merchandise from T-shirts and caps to polo shirts and windshirts. Of course, the yellow LIVESTRONG wristbands, the symbol of the LAF’s battle against cancer, will also be available for sale. Proceeds from the merchandise sales, as well as donations, go directly to support the organization’s initiatives to help cancer survivors, according to LAF president Doug Ulman.

Accented in yellow LIVESTRONG DECALS featuring the image of the famed cyclist in action, the trailer has been on the scene at a number of LIVESTRONG Challenge events – this year bike races, running and walking events are slated in Philadelphia, PA, Portland, OR and Armstrong’s adopted hometown of Austin, TX – designed to raise funds for the right against the disease. Following the American Century Championship, the LIVESTRONG trailer will roll to RAGBRAI, an event that will draw tens of thousands of bicyclists to communities in Iowa from July 22-28.

The trailer won’t be the only LAF tentpole in Tahoe. Ulman said there will be outreach booths at select locations around the course, where some 40,000 people are expected during tournament week. Spectators will be able to pick up cancer survivorship educational materials and other information explaining the JLAF mission and programs. In addition, visitors to the LAF’s booth can sign up for the LIVESTRONG Army, the Foundation’s effort to unite citizens across the country to make cancer a national priority.

“Last year, it was near the 18^th green. There was tons of traffic,” said Ulman. “This year, we really want to expand our presence and expand our sponsorship.”

Ulman said that plans will also manifest in other initiatives on and off the course. A concerted effort will be made to reach out to players and celebrities to not only get the message out about the LAF, but to outfit them, as well as the spectators in yellow.

“We’d like as many people as possible to wear LAF hats, shirts and of course wristbands,” said Ulman. “Yellow looks great on TV.”

“At the American Century Championship, we hope to have as many people as possible visit the LAF trailer and outreach booths. We want to let fans of these great celebrities know that the LAF is here to provide cancer survivorship information and resources, as well as ways to get involved with the cancer fight,” said Ulman. “Anything we can do with an event of this magnitude really helps our cause.”

-- by Mike Reynolds

www.livestrong.org

www.livestrongblog.org

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